Don’t Hyperventilate About 2018 Yet

There’s an old saying among Vatican insiders just before a papal conclave. Enter a pope, exit a cardinal. It’s old wisdom that — roughly interpreted — means don’t let your supporters make it seem as if you are hungry for the Chair of St. Peter.

The inestimable Cole Trower offers a list of 10 names that he considers to be papabile or suitable frontrunners for the 2018 Virginia GOP nod for U.S. Senate.

Trower misses a few notables that ought to be immediately considered given their ability to actually raise money in the seven-figures range — Morgan Griffith, Barbara Comstock, Tom Davis, Scott Taylor, Bryce Reeves and yes Bill Bolling just to name a few.

It’s not my intent to throw cold water on any of the names listed — some of them are splendid choices. Most I would rather selfishly want to see stay in their lanes and become leaders in either the Virginia House or Virginia Senate… the cold water I’m about to splash around isn’t directed at them in the slightest, just at the passions of well-intentioned supporters (and the ill-intentioned staffers that are looking to make money off of that enthusiasm).

Despite a list of excellent names, you can just taste the wanton desire of certain hangers-on to desperately push a candidate (read: cash cow) of choice to the forefront (or push back others). Not only is it embarrassingly bush league, it takes one’s eye off the ball.

Worse still — isn’t everyone just a little tired of watching 2nd tier consultants push a rising star into the spotlight too soon, fill their heads full of nonsense, and watch them destroy a promising career just to see them make a paycheck? Over 20 years I’ve been doing this… I can count maybe 10 candidates so far pushed way too early in the name of “principles” and the like, all because they’d rather take a cut of a six-figure insurgency effort rather than build the case for a true seven-figure challenge that actually unites conservatives.

Never mind all of that. Those are the grumblings of a grognard. Focus on 2017 and the mission ahead.

Gillespie, Vogel, Adams — and your respective Republican HOD member.

There is no other game, ladies and gentlemen. Not to mention the fact that nails that stick up early get hammered down (i.e. look at how folks are treating Fiorina).

…oh yeah, and did I mention the ability to raise at least $15 million in an environment that is already proving to be ridiculously expensive and combative?

Everyone grab an oar. We’ll figure out who is papabile at the RPV Advance.